Colin’s Comments (group member since Dec 16, 2012)

Colin’s comments from the THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP group.

Manray9 wrote: "David wrote: "Thanks for allowing me to join the group. My name is David. I have my MA in history from Temple University. My primary areas of interest are World War Two, the Civil War and the Colon..."

Congrats I received my MA from Temple in 1998 also.

I knew LeMay, great interview, and he was a no bullshit straightforward officer. He had his opinions on everyone and everything. regarding Robert S. McNamara (who was under LeMay's command in the Pacific during WW II) he told me this:
"Strange is his middle name, and it is very fitting. If I could have had that bastard killed somehow back then, it would have saved our nation a lot of fu$%@ng misery."

The Vichy regime was an independent anti-Jewish criminal organization that looted, deported, murdered and betrayed Allied pilots. SS Lt. Gen Karl Wolff said that 'The Vichy were the best allies we had, at least they were dependable."

I have flown in the Stearman, as well as the B-25, B-17, P-51 (2 seater), AT-6, and a few others, great feeling indeed.

I met Alvarez, and others such as George E. "Bud" Day (he was my attorney, MOH), Roger Lerseth (worked with him in Pentagon/Crystal City), James B. Stockdale (MOH), John Dramesi, John McCain, Leo Throsness (MOH) and others in the "Hilton", and Alvarez is one of the few mentioned with credibility, a good man.

Left wing, slanted, biased, not a single real hero, MOH recipient, POW to provide their side of the war. Lacking much credidibility, due to not providing the full context for why the US and other nations (yes there were many nations involved) were there to stem communism.

I made it a point to meet and speak with old Omar when I was in high school, he was in bad shape but had a great outlook. Interesting man indeed.

Jonny, the US aircraft retained the US gun sights, especially the Bell P-30 Airacobras, P-40 Warhawks, and even a few Hurricanes and Spitfires were sent with their gunsights. P-39s were sent en masse, which the Soviets loved for both fighter and ground attack roles. In fact, the USSR's second highest scoring ace Aleksandr Prokryshkin was a P-39 pilot. Once these aircraft arrived they were given to Red Banner units. These were special squadrons of hot pilots identified by their special red markings. In my books, I have many mentions of them from my interviews with Luftwaffe pilots.

Having interviewed many soldiers from both sides, especially the Waffen SS, I can attest that to a man that those who fought for 1-3 years on the Eastern Front were battle hardened and war weary, and it did have a psychological impact upon their approach to fighting. This was also true of the Wehrmacht Heer and Luftwaffe paratroops.

When writing my book Four War Boer, and having some first person insights from Pieter Krueler who knew Smuts, I spent years doing additional research. I have the following book: "The South Africans with General Smuts in German East Africa: 1916" from battery Press (1939 reprint). Good campaign book. Smuts also wrote his own autobiography which is considered a good read, I liked it.

Erik wrote: "I just watched "Hacksaw Ridge", and wow... what a powerful story. Great film, even with some nitpick things I cannot help but notice. I wanted to salute the screen, as such a hero as Mr. Doss deser..."

I met Des Doss, and knew and interviewed dozens of MOH recipients. I still work for my old Regt CO who is a Vietnam recipient, as his speech writer and we wrote his autobiography together. Doss was a very good and humble man.

I know Hammelburg, it used to be the NATO urban warfare training center in the 1980s when I was there, great medieval town, castle, awesome training. I still have the photo of my company after two weeks of grinding work.

In my book night Fighters, I wrote about such events, even interviewed a Bomber Command victim. In my book The Star of Africa, i touched upon Hans-Joachim Marseille's handling with PTSD as well.

Pamela Harriman showed me some of the written notes kept by Churchill, and he had some correspondence with Kitchener, a relationship forged in 1899-1900 time frame. I found it strange that he placed little value on air recon, while others found it an invaluable source of information on gun emplacements and troop positions. Ironically, Churchill made the Photo Recon branch of the RAF as high a priority as fighter and bomber commands in WW II.

One of the images ke kept in his head was a mission where he saw a few B-24s get hit by flak, then one rolled over and blew up. There were only two parachutes counted, and three bodies falling to earth, then another bomber hit by fighters. The Me-109 then collided with the bomber after being hit by defensive, German pilot and Americans all falling through the sky together above and then in front of him. Over the radio he learned that it was a bomber piloted by a good friend. He was going home after this mission to get married. Stewart really choked up about that one.

I give Kitchener great credit for two things, he at least acknowledged his errors regarding the concentration camps established for the civilians in South Africa where the death rates were staggering; and he did throw all of his fame and energy into getting the public to rally behind the war effort, and ordering that more enlisted men's efforts be given proper consideration for high awards for valor.

Liam wrote: "Colin wrote: "I wrote the book on Maximciuc, with his assistance, he approved of the final manuscript draft in writing. Then my publisher was threatened with lawsuits by his family if we released i..."

The entire scenario was surreal. I promised his family after his death that I would allow them to review the manuscript, I wanted accuracy, even after he signed off on it. I believe that the shock of his close workings with the Luftwaffe, not to mention Himmler personally inspecting and giving his racial "approval" for Maximciuc and the Vlasov auxiliaries, may have had an impact.

Read your review, a good one. I interviewed Stewart, and 90% was all about the war and his missions. He was a really great guy, and the :off the record" stuff was also great. I gave my word some of what he said would never be published later, and I will keep that confidence.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Dj wrote: "

Well, I am reading this as part of the free read and review offer and so far I have two brain freez..."

Hasso von Manteuffel was the 25th of 27 men to receive the Diamonds in January 1945, and he is a distant relative on my mother's side.

I wrote the book on Maximciuc, with his assistance, he approved of the final manuscript draft in writing. Then my publisher was threatened with lawsuits by his family if we released it, they were unhappy with what their father said, and even less enthused about much of his story they apparently did not know. The book was published but not released as "Prince of Aces" as the title with Stackpole Books. The family did say that I could release it with names changed as a novel.